GOLF / MAL FLORENCE : At 50, Floyd Rejoins His Friends

You can’t blame Raymond Floyd if he is wringing his hands in anticipation of joining the Senior Tour.

Lee Trevino was as eager as Floyd on Dec. 1, 1989, when he became eligible, at 50, to join the Seniors, saying: “I want to play with the round bellies instead of the flat bellies.”

Floyd, one of the game’s best players for nearly 30 years, has noted that Trevino has won 10 tournaments in only two years on the Senior Tour.

Moreover, Trevino became the first Senior to win $1 million, when he earned $1,190,518 in 1990 and won seven tournaments.

Floyd, who will turn 50 on Sept. 4, emphasized his intention of joining the Senior Tour while competing at the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, when he said:

“Thirty years is enough. Let me go and have some fun.”

Translation: “Let me go and make a potful of money.”

If Trevino can reap the riches of the Senior Tour, there is no reason why Floyd can’t.

Floyd is still very competitive on the regular tour, finishing in the top 10 in five tournaments last year, including the U.S. Open and PGA Championship, and losing the 1990 Masters in a playoff with Nick Faldo.

He also shot a 64 in the third round of the recent Pebble Beach tournament to challenge for the lead before faltering with a 73 in the final round.

“I’m going to go back to the guys I came into the game with,” Floyd said of his impending Senior status.

The Senior Tour has been a bonanza for many of the older players, some of whom struggled when they were on the regular tour.

“It’s totally different now than it was,” Floyd said. “These guys (seniors) worked hard and had to play a lot and didn’t get a great reward. But they built what we have today.

“I appreciate that because I’ve been on both sides of it.”

Floyd recalls when many players had to qualify for tournaments on Mondays before the all-exempt tour concept was adopted. Moreover, the touring pro wasn’t extended privileges that are taken for granted by younger players now.

“I know the young players take a lot of criticism, and I think it’s unjust because they don’t know what it was like 20 years ago,” Floyd said.

“They (young players) get their tour cards today, and they know they walk into a situation where they get a vehicle, free food, free range balls and people pick them up at the airport and make their hotel reservations for them. It’s carte blanche .

“And when we first got a courtesy car--and it was always the top players--I don’t know of a player who didn’t write a letter thanking the person.

“But you can’t blame a kid today. He knows that if he’s the 188th player, or the first, he’s going to get the same treatment.”

Floyd said he is looking forward to playing with the players he started with when he was a younger pro.

“The Senior Tour has become so successful so quickly. It’s a big package now,” Floyd said, “and corporate America loves it and it’s great for the game.

“Now, with the demographics of age that we have in the U.S., we have more senior people, and that group relates to the Senior Tour and makes it even more popular.”

Floyd, a former U.S. Open, Masters and PGA champion, will only enhance that popularity.

Dave Stockton, a “rookie”’ senior player who won 11 tournaments on the regular tour, including two PGA Championships, will compete in the GTE West Classic March 6-8 at the Ojai Valley Inn and Country Club.

Stockton, captain of the winning U.S. Ryder Cup team last September, said he plans to compete in 30 tournaments this year.

“I don’t know how I’ll do, but nobody is going to work harder than I am,” Stockton said. “I want to prove that I’m a better player than some people give me credit for. They haven’t seen the real Dave Stockton.”

Nine of the top 10 PGA Tour players on the 1991 money winning list have committed to play in the Nissan Los Angeles Open Feb. 27-March 1 at the Riviera Country Club.

Corey Pavin, the leading money winner, heads the list. Others are Craig Stadler, Fred Couples, Tom Purtzer, Andrew Magee, Steve Pate, Davis Love III, Paul Azinger and Russ Cochran.

Golf Notes

Mark O’Meara has won eight tournaments, four at Pebble Beach, but has yet to win a major tournament. When asked why O’Meara hasn’t won a major, Raymond Floyd said: “I can’t answer that. He’s a great driver, has adequate length and is fabulous around the greens” . . . The UNICEF charity tournament will be held March 9 at the Riviera Country Club. . . . The Nabisco Dinah Shore tournament has increased its purse by $100,000 to $700,000 for the March 26-29 event at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage.

New York Giant linebacker Lawrence Taylor, after finishing second with partner Fred Funk in the pro-am portion of the Pebble Beach tournament: “I don’t talk to the press, and that’s it.” . . . Friendly Hills Country Club’s annual charity benefit tournament will be held Feb. 24.